


The Golden Pelt

by TheAlbinoOctopus



Category: Redwall Series - Brian Jacques
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:08:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26134717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAlbinoOctopus/pseuds/TheAlbinoOctopus
Summary: First off this story will more than likely never be totally fnished. I do not intend on it at least.The story takes place on an island off a ways west of where Redwall is. There is never going to be enough room for everyone... so some good beasts or bad beasts will have to die.





	1. Chapter 1

The trees of Mallenwood were a golden green, their wooden arms extended to greet the sun-kissed skies. The grass below was warm, gently each blade swayed in the noon breeze. Today was a day of spring, and the last day until the coming rains. Down a dirt path that lead to Mallenwood Abbey, came a ruckus the opposite way.  
"Prince! Slow your pace, please! The day is far too hot to be moving at this speed!" A reddish and youthful field-mouse raced down the road, followed by a much more mature shrew whom, being small, struggled to follow due to a large bag he was burdened with on his shoulders. The young field-mouse would happen to be; Prince Francis of Mallenwood, substitute for his mother, and his proud shrew protector; Vallen, who had sworn to protect the young mouse until the wellness of his mother was ensured.  
"I understand your worry Vallen, but we mustn't be slow! What if we miss Ballund?!"  
"Ballund from Mt.Selena?! That's a ways away isn't it? Besides, I doubt-" The shrew slowed as he nearly tumbled to the ground  
"Vallen? Are you alright?" The Prince slowed and turned to return to the shrew. His expression turned exhausted as he bent over, his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily "I suppose we should of ate earlier… the abbey is only a hop skip away from here" the Prince said as he thought for a moment, and suddenly jumped his way into the abbey gates, calling back to the shrew, whom wearily raised; "I'll go in Vallen! I'll get the friar to stir up a good meal!" The mouse ran inside the abbey as quickly as he could.  
"What a wil'un eh Vallen?" A squirrel emerged from the treeline outside the abbey walls. "I though'it tha' eldah mice took tha' place of a leader" The squirrel removed a hood that until now, hid slightly scarred grey fur, his bruised nose, as well as his eyepatch. His name being Herming  
"Usually… y'know how Marlon is, she's been rather hesitant to be Abbess, an'with no goodbeast desirin' the pressure, we have to stick with Francis"  
"E'en a bad leadah is 'e?"  
"He hasn't the training of any proper leader, but his heart is in the right-" CRASH!! Immediately the sound of plates crashing came from the friar's room. "Prince!?" Vallen huffed, sprinting inside. The friar, a hare named Jann, pushed through the miniscule shrew, almost bashing him into the stairs.  
"I'm alright!" The voice of Francis came from below in the cellar.  
"I take, tha'ain a good sign eh?" Herming chuckled

The stone walls lead downward to an ominous cellar meant to serve food to the goodbeasts of Mallenwood. Vallen obviously felt a presence of fear for he yelped at even the slightest movement from a drip of water that came from a small creek, side of the underground stairs.  
"Sh! No wondah' the Abbess sen'me to watch'ya both, nowah be silen'!" As they reached the cellar, both of them saw what seemed to be glass plates that the friar crafted herself several nights ago. Francis lied on the floor, the mouse's muzzle aimed up… no breathing. "Francis?" Vallen said afraid the Prince was unconscious, but as he looked over the mouse… it was a fake.  
"BOO!" Francis shouted out from behind him. The shrew fell over and nearly stabbed his paw on the glass of a shattered plate. Herming laughed aloud along with Francis  
"Francis! What happened?" Vallen' s face scrunched into disappointment  
"Oh yes… the accident-"  
"You destroyed Friar Ann's works and then continue to call it an accident?!"  
"Oh calm yah'selves… Val does hav'ah poin' if I am being' honest, buh still"  
"Thankyou Herming" Vallen nodded in approval of his comment. "We'll discuss a proper punishment with your mother later, for now the cellar workers will have to clean the area."  
"It really was an acci-"  
"Just be quiet, let's head up to the bathing room, besides Ballund is probably expecting a clean and orderly Prince."  
"Yes Vallen" Francis sighed and stepped up the cellar stairs, Vallen followed. Herming, however, looked over the cabinets the glass plates fell from. 

It was an old cabinet, so old that one of the backs of one of the boards that took up the cabinets was loose. As he reached in to test it's strength, he stopped himself. The sound of what was probably a rock came from behind him  
"Who's thar?! Reveal yahself!" Herming unsheathed his shortsword and began to search the barrels and kegs.  
"Herming! Get up here and help me gather some staff!" Ann called from above the cellar stairs. Herming cautiously made his way upstairs. Unbeknownst to him, by this time a small searat crept from behind a barrel.  
"Well? Wat do ya see Adle?" A younger stoat appeared behind him crouching  
"Quiet White-Paw!" The searat hushed his accomplice "Yer'll get the attention of that squirrel again"  
"Who was 'e?"  
"Jus'another squirrel, now try n'get that cabinet opn'!" The Ararat ordered with a harsh voice and a harsher push as he nearly slammed the stoat, White-Paw, down. He carefully walked through the broken glass and cautiously raised his paw to quietly breech the door. As his hand met the wood, the cabinet false back slammed BWAM! The stoat froze, Adle, the searat, leapt and raced to the stoat, and shoved him into a tunnel the cabinet lead to.  
"Yer lucky it's me hoo is wit'ya, Sharp-tooth woul'have ya head" Adle placed the cabinet false back in place. The stoat was still frozen, his dagger unsheathed, in his hand  
"What if they heard us'm?" The stoat spoke hushed and panicked.  
"Ah qui' bein' paranoid n'such… besides Sharp-tooth will be glad t'ear that the Abbess is still refusin'er duties" Adle smirked, pushing past his accomplice. White-Paw viewed through the crack of the false-back, he saw the figures of the goodbeast, and froze as one began to approach him.


	2. Chapter 2

Across Mallenwood near the northernmost part in the far reaches of Sunburst was Sunset-rift. It was near dusk, and the sun began to rest. Tonight is the night that Percy finally tried his hand at guiding a party of five. The fox, Percy, stood lumineering over the beaches upon a short and steep cliff.  
"Hesitant?" A massive hulking figure came behind him  
"Of course not s-sir"  
"Fear is a powerful weapon, I suggest that tonight you use it to the best of your abilities" the remaining sunlight shined up on the figure. A ferret of steel grey hide covered his body, a single canine tooth sat disgruntled out of his muzzle.   
"I will" the fox answered, never making eye-contact  
"Look at me" the ferret said gravely as he forced the fox to face him.  
"You know fear, you know poI'llwer, if I had wanted a petty rat as my next leader, then I would've gotten a petty rat… instead I chose someone who I would assume intelligent" his monotone voice spoke loudly and calmly. "Do not make me regret that judgement"  
"If you think you will regret the decision sir, I will prove you wrong"  
"A good statement, but cocky… mind yourself and you'll get far"  
"Yes sir" the fox bowed and quickly sped his way down to the camp. The ferret spoke to himself  
"So Sharp-Tooth, what now?" He looked up at the stars, and they looked down at him. The faster the fox got, the more scared he became as the sand of the coast slid him down the slope. He gracefully managed to land after nearly falling on his head.  
"Get together you idiots!" Percy shouted. Immediately twelve raiders met him  
"Wot 'is all about eh?"  
"We're beginning out march, I'd suggest you get your troops up, or I'll do it myself"  
"Yeh, yeh, yeh, if ih'keep ya frum yappin'" a larger, much more obtuse rat spoke. Within a few minutes a good fifty vermin gathered.  
"We are storming what Sharp-tooth says is the Mt.Selena storage fort!" The fox shouted to all of the vermin, whom none-of-which seemed to care.  
"Then'woy dud he not com' tell us 'imself!?" A vermin shouted  
"'Yeah! 'Ow we suppo'ta believe a fox anyways eh?!" The vermin group let off a small chuckle  
"Are yeh gonn'ta suggest we jus'go in n'kill ourselves cause ye'sooo much betta than us regular beast?" The vermin group began to laugh a fair bit. Not a single fox lingered in the crowd.  
"Alright then…" Percy unleashed his whip. Twelve vermin fell to his feet as he relentlessly began an assault. Three vermin, then five more. The laughter choked and now the vermin cowered, except for a small group that had begun a slow advance on Percy. Before they managed to reach him, the massive figure of the ferret landed between them  
"Sheath your whip, it is not good to waste such a fine weapon" he spoke to Percy calmly, and with no expression of clear impression. As the vermin horde was regrouped, Sharp-Tooth spoke  
"See to it you all pay mind to your lieutenant" the group murmured at the spoken word of "lieutenant." Though silence was immediately the preferred noise rather than a whip. "Although much to your unlikely dismay… twenty of you will stay here as we wait for reinforcements, and the rest… will assist the lieutenant" with these words the vermin horde gained a half relieved and half cautious expression. "I'll let the lieutenant decide" Sharp-Tooth said menacingly and in a solid voice. He turned sharply and walked to his tent.  
"I'll take this lot here, you twenty can stay, but you best pray that you all obey, or that you all die" Percy gave a wicked grin. He raised his hand and shouted "Follow or die!" And he began his march

In Mallenwood Abbey, White-Paw stood in place as the darkened figure reached for him.  
"I'think that ther's sum secret ruum er somthin'" Herming spoke with a cautious tone. Beside of him was Jann, the friar, and a squirrel, named Donnohay, in chainmail and a helmet.   
"Well don' ya think we 'oughta stan'back love?" Jann asked curiously  
"Yer'll be fine" Herming chuckled. Whilst opposite to the board, White-Paw found himself beginning to face Adle, only to see the rat's tail make a cowardly escape through a tight hole to above ground.  
"Adle, where d'I go?!" White-Pawed asked Adle in a hushed, panicked, voice  
"Ou'the other side o'the tunnel yer idit! I'll meet yer ther, Now get!" Adle said unsympathetically. Unfortunately for the stoat, he found he had knife to his back. Adle ran.  
"Now, lisen'ere; if yer make any sudd'n move'nts, then I'lll stab yeh fasteh than a rock hits an'er… dirt frum up high" Herming's voice was echoey in the stone and dirt tunnel. Despite his poor choice of words for a threat, the stoat cowered under Herming anyway. "Jus'wut are yer doin?" Herming eyed the stoat's hands.   
"I- I- I was an me uhm- please don'urt me!" White-Paw's voice trembled and shook  
"Uhg! Stupid squirrel…" Jann groaned as she gave a hefty push to Herming. "Yuh can't go round and make beasts cry, because then you ain't gonna get what yeh need" Jann' s voice was soft and warm, despite her ominous height as a hare. "Now 'onn, we ain't gunna hurt yuh ok?" Jann looked for a nod, to which the stoat nodded. "We jus' want to know why you're 'ere"  
"What if he lies?" Donnohay asked suspiciously "for all we know, he's some marauder!"  
"And what if he's a homeless beast eh? Wut then? We leave him 'ere t'rot?" Jann nearly toppled the squirrel guard. "Just let me ask'm the questions' alright?" Donnohay huffed, but backed away. "Now then, 'onn, my compatriot here doors make a poin', r'yah wit a bandit group?"  
"..I wus in a tribe me'em, I wus jus' told t'come here" White-Paw spoke with a shaky voice "I- I weren' told wut t'do, but Adle migh'know"  
"Who?" Herming looked puzzled  
"He jumped outta tha'hole ther" White-Paw gestured towards the narrow beam of light that came through the hole  
"Well, thank ya" Jann smiled "Donnohay, take ur guest to tha bathin' room, n'gettim in something nice" Jann gave a false smile to Donnohay  
"Yes ma'am" Donnohay took a hold of White-Paw's paw, and ushered him.  
"If I'm correct, n'I am, then wer tuh asoom e'aint alone" Herming began his way down the tunnel, Jann trailing behind.   
"We ain' tuh assume anything, for all we know, there could be spikes"  
"Yer always sayin' dat"  
"N'when it turns out tha'I'm right, yeh start whining"  
"Shh!"  
"Don't hush me yeh-" Herming held a paw to her mouth. In the cavern sat the body of Adle, limp, but breathing. Beside him was the body of a snake idle, coiled, but breathing.

"So, Lieutenant, wurr's dis fort werr t'foind?"  
"See that mountain?"  
"Yessir"  
"It's at the very bottom of that mountain"  
"Ah… so wurr gunna go in frum the top?"  
"Exactly, if I get at least 12 soldiers with torches up there, Then I have no doubt that we'll be able to get our archers to fire that fort"  
"They don'ave a back gate d'they?"   
"Its a pretty new fort, I doubt they'll have one"  
"And f'they do?"  
"We'll sneak through" Percy smiled to the rat captain. The captain gave a nod as he rallied troops. "And as for me, I'll go through the front" Percy smugly chuckled to himself. As the night ran on. The horde gathered near the back, Percy, however, waited near the front gate.  
"Where's dat Percy fella?" A ferret archer snuck up beside of the Rat captain  
"I dunno, but 'e said t'fire our arrows on fire"   
"I'll have the archers lit der arrows, you jus'give is the word"  
"Ok then… now!" The rat laughed. As the fire rained down on the fort. Percy watched the guards patrolling the front gates disappear.  
"Hurry! Get buckets o'water and the guard captain! We're under attack!" A guard in chainmaul armor called to his fellow guards.  
"That actually worked?" Percy snickered "Here I go then!" Percy rushed inside. The groups of goodbeast racing to escape was many. Percy stood out like a sore thumb among the mice and squirrels.  
"Aiieee! Vermin!" A mouse dibbun holding a babe sat right in front of him. She was tied up in the struggle. Percy groaned as he relentlessly knocked the beasts out of his way.   
"Stop! Vermin!" Percy heard a voice behind him. A Squirrel in hastily assembled leather armor, that was scorched and torn, called at him.  
"Maybe you should turn back… besides, what harm is it to let a fox escape?"  
"You ain't getting out of here! You have somethin' to do with this!"  
"And if I don't? What then? Trap me here and leave me to die?" Percy smiled behind a fake grimace   
"I'll take that chance" he breath went still, his eyes froze, all as Percy's whip caught hold of his sword. Pecy smirked and with a tug… the sword flipped back, scarring the squirrel across the face.   
"That's your first warning" Percy stood ready for the imminent battle.  
"I'll…"  
"Grayson! Stand down! The town's on fire!" An elderly squirrel came to the scarred one. As the elder came to his side, the squirrel stood and seemingly vanished in the crowd.  
"Now…" Percy looked back to the fortress walls, to where a door opened to a corridor swung out. "For that pelt…"


	3. Chapter 3

Francis kneeled at his mother's bed.  
"Ah, my beautiful little boy"  
"I'm not a dibbun anymore mum"  
"But you are... to me" his mother smiled  
"You act like you're sick… yet you seem only strickened with grief" Francis rose to look out the abbey's large window that caster moonlit colours unto his mother's bed  
"Indeed… but, it's not true" his mother's smile loosened "I am sick dear, not with grief, but rather the convoliance…" at that Francis turned in shock  
"Truly?"  
"I'll be fine… I've taken worse-"  
"Mum… that's a horrid sickness! Why only tell me now?"  
"It isn't obvious? I prefer it when you're joyvle" she laughed "Francis, your father"  
"What of him?"  
"When Ballund arrives, I'd like you to ask about the golden pelt, it was your father's… your fourteen seasons old, and four ahead where others would already begin their study… I value your youth, and you shouldn't be bound by study… my son, you will live."  
"Mum… you're so stupid sometimes I swear" he laughed wholeheartedly  
"I think I'll be that way til death too" she laughed with him. He sat his paw on her's "Now, about what happened…"  
"Mum, it was just a small joke"  
"Around broken shards of glass?"  
"That wasn't there when I went down, I'd already ducked behind the box of tea herbs"  
"Then who broke the Friar's plates hm? A ghost?" Just then pounding came from the hall door  
"Abbess!"   
"Francis, let Vallen in please" the Abbess spoke softly. Francis turned the door knob, and almost immediately Vallen barged in  
"Abbess!"  
"Please don't call me Abbess, Vallen"  
"Sorry ma'am but this is urgent!"  
"What is it?"  
"The plates shattering isn't the fault of the young Prince here"  
"Then who's to blame?"  
"We found a vermin stow-away behind the cupboards"  
"What are you to do with him? I trust you have a fair and just punishment ready yes?"  
"That doesn't matter- there's a cavern below the Abbey with a snake inside!"  
"You're bluffing"  
"No ma'am"  
"Fine… fetch me my sword, would you Francis?"  
"Yes mum!" Francis hurdled out of the room and down the hall into a small door that had seemed worn down and ran to wares. Among a wall inside sat a painting of a mouse that Francis always heard of, yet always forgot. Below him sat his mother's sword, a schitmar. It's handle moulded in a royal blue and it's blade a pearly reflecting white.

Rushing down the cellar, the Abbess obviously caught the shock of many with her appearance. Inside the cellar she crept through the tunnels, and now the near entire Abbey sat at the tunnel entrance, guards rushing behind her. She positioned herself in front of the snake, behind Herming and Jann.  
"Wha' d'we do?" Herming asked puzzled  
"Shh, just watch me" The Abbess smiled at him a conniving, toothy, grin. She aimed her sword at the snake, and began a quite rush to the reptile. Almost within five minutes the snake rose sup. The Abbess lodged her sword into it's neck, and began pushing it in. "The trick is to just keep cutting until it's-" and in a will of what seemed like Martin, the Abbess placed herself on top of the severed snake head, the likes of which she kicked away out of physical disgust.  
"Y'nevr stop impressin' me Abbess" Herming laughed  
"I won't stop either" she smiled falsely and clutched on to her chest "Hgogph!" She coughed  
"Mistress" Jann stepped to give a hand  
"Thank you friar, please, I'd like to see the beast you spoke of"  
"About that midame!" A hare in a cordial jester's have came out the entrance  
"Ahh, Pillof! My good jester friend, what is it you wish to tell me?"  
"There is only un' vermin left… the othr' died from the poisoning in tha sick bay" Pillof frowned.  
"The other one?"  
"We sen'im t'get cleaned ma'am!" Herming looked at the Abbess assuringly  
"To be fair, if'wer tellin' the truth, you'd find that I sen'im to bathe, Herming here had intended leaving him here in the tunnel." Jan smugly smiled as the Abbess thanked her.  
"Nevermind that though, tha Vermin is waiting for ya ma'am" Pillof cleared a way through the guards and Abbey dwellers.

Up in the hastily made interrogation room, White-Paw sat eagerly looking over the fields and forests that the Abbey looked over.  
"Aven't you seen tha stuff befur?" A squirrel guard asked White-paw  
"Nut'frum this height'm sir"  
"Ah… Your not from tha bandit lands I take it"  
"No? I'm frum the… er… Birchwood place"  
"Birchwood? Really? Must've been better than 'ere then, I'd love to see all those blossom trees"  
"It wern't tha nice though… evar since thur Mossflurer beast came, we've had ter abandon the place"  
"Ah.. sorry to 'ear" the guard looked guilty bringing up the topic, as the stoat looked out the window a lot more solemnly now.  
"White-Paw I take it? I'm the retired Abbess of this Abbey, I'd like to speak with you" Marlon, the Abbess, walked in, her schitmar back in storage. Now, in a brighter room, her blue simple dress and her white collar dress shirt simmered.  
"Hullo" White-Paw stood up. He had seemingly been stripped of his leather armor he had originally donned. Now he wore a white undershirt and a pair of rolled up trousers made for a squirrel.  
"You were with a group of beast up north correct?"  
"Er… yes"  
"I trust that you were cared for up there… have you ate?" This question made the stoat stop   
"No… I haven't I don' think"  
"Join us for breakfast… I hate seeing a starving beast"  
"Oh! What about Adle?"  
"I'm afraid he wont be joining us… he died bravely in the fight with the snake"  
"I see" the stoat didn't weep nor cry, he just sat still  
"Are you alright?"  
"M'hmm" he nodded   
"Well then, I thought you'd like to come eat with us if it wasn't too much to ask"  
"I haven't ate, so'm I'll b'fine"  
"Of course" the Abbess's expression showed that she was obviously spooked, but she maintained a calm posture. As she ushered the stoat down the stairs, she looked ahead at the large table that her cushioned chair sat at.  
"Wurr do erm… I sit?"  
"Beside of me of course"  
"Mum! Is this the stoat? I can show him his seat!" Francis ran up to his mother and eagerly took the stoat's paw  
"That would be kind of you dear" the Abbess smiled. Francis led White-Paw down to his seat. To where the whole Abbey went silent at the sight of the Abbess at her chair.

Francis curiously stared at White-Paw  
"Why did you come here?"  
"Erm… I was told t'"  
"By whom?"  
"My generl', 'is name s'Shaep-Tooth" the stoat said  
"That's a cool name… hey want to be friends? I never get to meet any beasts outside the Abbey"  
"I'm sure yeh have othur friends right?"  
"Not really…"  
"

"That's theh last tent sah!" A black hare in chainmail called to a brown one  
"Thank yeh Louise!" The hare called back to her. Asserting his gaze to the martin, the hare smiled  
"So Ballund? How fah do yeh think the Abbey is?"  
"If we'ren to continue theh pace at this rate? Maybeh by mid-night"  
"And if we do say ah… light jog, then wot?"  
"Seriously? In two minutes"  
"Wot? Yer joking right?"  
"Yea yea I'm just messin' wit yeh… probably three rather than two" the martin chuckled, and he began heading to where the path leading into Mallenwood laid. As they reached the Abbey walls and towers, they found the front gates wide open to an empty courtyard.  
"Heh… I ain't one to tell yeh wot is wrong or not, but er… the Abbey seems empty" the armoured rabbit laughed anxiously  
"They're eating, Alaina… besides my sister isn't one to leave her home abandoned"   
"Lets go in then!" She swung the Abbey door open.

As the doors swung in, the Abbess reached the bottom of the stairs  
"Sister!" The martin called to Marlon.  
"Ballund?!" She smiled excitedly as she ran to hug her brother.  
"It's been years! How's Francis?"  
"Ask him yourself"  
"Uncle!" Francis ran up to him and gave a death-gripped hug  
"Ack! You're stronger than I remember!"  
"Uncle! How've you been?!"  
"Tired, it's been a long way from Selena"  
"Ballund, please, come sit down" Marlon gave her brother a hug and ushered him to a seat that sat across from White-Paw. Francis sat beside him.  
"Sister, as kind as yeh are, I have news from the North"  
"Please come eat with us, news can wait. Besides, it's been months since I've had a proper family meal with the abbey."   
"Of course sister" Ballund smiled.


End file.
